This Friday, Lidl gave the Belgian Federation of Food Banks a check for 302,673. A nice sum which is the result of the program launched two years ago by the brand: “Bon appétit, Zéro gaspi”. In concrete terms, this action aimed to sell products approaching their use-by date at floor prices, so as to limit food waste. Over the past year, the project has prevented the loss of 2,700,000 nearly expired products and thus 1,600 tonnes of food waste at Lidl.
“We are very pleased with the success of Lidl’s Bon appétit, Zéro gaspi action. We would like to warmly thank Lidl store employees and customers. This donation is more than welcome, given the increased demand for food aid. With this check, we can determine the composition of the food parcels ourselves and make the range of products more varied and of better quality,” says Jef Mottar, Managing Director of the Belgian Federation of Food Banks.
Daily fight against food waste
Lidl launched the Bon appétit, Zéro gaspi project in 2020 as part of its strategy to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025. It all starts with ever more efficient logistics and the optimization of ordering processes. . However, if products remain on the shelves because their use-by date has expired or their packaging is slightly damaged, Lidl offers these products in batches at minimum prices:
– €1 for a box filled with a 3 kg mix of fruit and vegetables, and €1 for dry products whose packaging is slightly damaged;
– €0.50 for all types of meat, fish and pastries to be eaten the same day;
– €0.20 for dairy products and fresh products such as mixed salads.
Over the past year, Lidl has raised no less than 302,673 euros through its Bon appétit, Zéro gaspi program. Customers purchased over 2,700,000 dairy products and fresh produce such as mixed salads, meat, fish, pastries, vegetables and condiments. Thanks to the sale of these food parcels, Lidl was able to avoid some 1,600 tonnes of food waste.
“We are happy that we were able to avoid so much food waste thanks to the project, and the food banks were able to choose, thanks to our contribution, the products they needed for the food parcels. It is also nice to see how committed our own store associates are to this project. Every day, they fill out Bon appétit, Zéro gaspi boxes for our customers. It is also a win-win for the customer: in addition to the possibility of buying products at advantageous prices and contributing to the effort to reduce waste, they support the social and societal project of food banks. This approach is therefore as good for the wallet as it is for our planet and our society! », explains Boudewijn van den Brand, CEO of Lidl Belgium.